1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to moisture and air seals for sealing joints between structures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Joints between sections of floors and walls are necessary to accommodate for movement caused by thermal and seismic changes thereto. Hence, the joints must be sealed to prevent penetration of moisture that would be deleterious to the structure. Heretofore, joints were sealed against the penetration of air and moisture by pumping a curing type mastic such as silicone, urethanes, butyl or polysulfides over a supporting backer rod extrusion typically of polyethylene foam first placed into the joint and filling the void remaining therebetween. The mastic is then "tooled" or shaped to enhance the seal and for aesthetics.
Another method uses an open cell elastomeric material such as urethane foam saturated by a resin or viscous bitumen to seal the foam substrate. It is then precompressed and placed into the joint whereupon it expands to fill and seal the joint.
Both of the above mentioned methods are extremely labor intensive, requiring skilled applicators and much labor to cleanup, all of which makes the installation thereof more time consuming and costly than the applicants' device.
The applicants' invention is a significant improvement over the above mentioned prior art seals. It consists of a compressible wedge shaped sealing strip comprising an extruded inner hollow flexible resilient body or tube of flexible resilient elastomeric material such as rubber, thermoplastic rubber, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), silicone, EPDM (ethylene-propylene terpolymer), nitrile rubber, SBN (styrene-butadiene-nitrile) or a flexible resilient plastic or metal body and a layer of elastomeric cellular foam material which alternatively may cover at least the two opposing inclined sides of the hollow body and conformably engage the opposing side walls of the joint.
A pair of thin flexible barb-like structures or retainers may be provided at opposite sides of the inner hollow body and assist to lock the sealing strip in place. The resilient flexible hollow body or tubular member can be of various geometric shapes and designed to allow it to be significantly compressed and to enhance its recovery from the compressed state. It is the reliability of its ability to recover from a compressed state that will allow it to be properly installed in less time and assure its long term sealing ability of the joint at lower cost.